Are you in the market to purchase a piece of fine jewelry with gems either for yourself or for that special someone?  Aside from the considerations of: design or look; gems of choice; and type of jewelry (Engagement Ring, Necklace, Pendant, Earrings, etc.), the quality of the craftsmanship should also be looked at carefully.  Some buyers prioritize on gem size and quality.  For those who do, I encourage you to review this article just so that you can understand some elements that will surround your gem of choice.  Some buyers prioritize the look of the jewelry: how blingy; how dainty; or how elegant, rather than the actual longevity of piece of jewelry.  For that special group that can afford that priority (Must be nice), I guess you can skip this article.  For all others who do want to prioritize quality but do not really know what to look for, this is the article to read.  Here are the 6 features or considerations to look for when buying quality fine jewelry with gems.

This article is part 4 of a longer article that will be posted at the completion of the all the parts.  For a summary, please see 6 Tips in What to Look For When Buying Quality Jewelry.  Please sign-up to receive the more detailed future posts.

4.  Look at the top thickness of the setting

All types of setting/s should have a substantial amount of metal on top of the setting, above the gem/s.  The way you can check for thickness is by imagining or physically placing your nail on the gem/s and sliding your nail towards the setting as if you were about to guitar pluck the setting.  If your nail catches on the setting, you have a nice amount of metal above your gem/s to hold and later, to splatter and hug your gem/s.  The only exception I would mention is on micro-pave setting.  The beads are so small that it would be unfair to test it this way.  As long as the beads have enough buffer metal (you can use the nail thickness test on the buffer), and the micro-pave is used in the appropriate place and type of jewelry, the thickness of the setting should not be a factor.  Just make sure that the beads are indeed touching the gem/s.

So this is the take-home point:

Check the thickness of the setting.  It should have at least the thickness of your nail of extra metal above the gem/s.

Metal thickness is important both on the setting and the body of the jewelry.  Stay tuned for the next installment which will focus on some other areas that should be checked for strength and longevity.